Damper action for tuning fork pianos



D. SEBOUH DAMPER ACTION FOR TUNING FORK PIANOS Nov. 28, 1950 Filed Oct.26, 1946 r/ja is .1 5 li :zng 8 Zhwenfor (Ittorneg .wwiilfinj LIIPatented Nov. 28, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DAMPER ACTION FORTUNING FORK PIANOS Dickran Sebouh, New York, N. Y.

Application October 26, 1946, Serial No. 705,954

Claims. 1

My invention relates to piano action and particularly to a damper actionfor the tuning fork piano. The object of my invention is to provide anefficient damper mechanism for the tuning fork piano which can beinstalled in any type and/or any size upright piano hammer actionwithout necessitating structural changes in said. hammer action. Anotherobject of my invention is to provide a method of installation of thedamper action in tuning fork pianos whereby a tuning fork unit,comprising a mounting rail, the forks etc., such as one shown in myPatent No. 2,263,106, can be installed with-- in a small space free ofmechanical interference from the hammer action or the damper action.Still another object of the invention is to provide a damper action withthe damper heads engaging both of the free ends of the tines and therebystopping the vibration completely and quickly.

In the following description of the invention reference is had to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein likenumerals of reference indicate corresponding parts through the severalviews in which;

Fig. 1 is the side elevational View partl in section showing one complte unit of the invention as installed together with the hammer actionand the mounted tuning fork.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing the free ends ofthree front tines of three forks representin three successive notes ofthe musical scale, engaged by damper heads and also showing the positionof the damper wires and the striking line of the hammers.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly in section on the line 3-3 of 1,showing the tines of the fork of Fig. 2 in cross-section, and theirrelative position with the damper flanges and the piano keys, alsoshowing in cross-section the damper wiresand showing the spoons engaginsaid keys.

In referring throughout this specification to the piano damper action itis believed that the mechanism of said action and the terms identifyingvarious parts comp-risin said action are well known and understood,therefore a detailed description of the damper action and the definitionof said terms are considered unnecessary.

In the conventional grand piano the damper lever mechanism consisting ofdamper lever, lever fiange, lever flange rail and loud pedal rail isinstalled at a position opposite to that in this invention with the keyengaging the damper lever at the end as shown in broken lines marked Bin Fig. 1. In this invention the damper lever mechanism is installedunder the key frame 6 and is attached to the key bed I in the mannershown in Fig. l. The damper levers l are pivotally connected to thedamper lever flange 2 projecting from the rear edge of the damper leverrail 3, to the lower rear part of which rail 3 is pivoted the loud pedalrail 4 having parts 4' thereon engageable with the damper levers. Theusual engagement between the key 5 and the damper lever l is effectedthrough a new member, a spoon 8 fixed to and extending from the damperflange 9 as shown. With this type of installation the width and theheight of the piano will be considerably reduced. Moreover a morecomplicated design of installation resulting from the mechanicalinterference between the damper lever unit and the tuning fork mountingrail 10, had the damper action been installed as in conventional pianos,will be averted.

The upper ends of the damper wires II are slidably received in verticalbores l! a in the damper guide rail Hb. Each damper wire I! is straightexcepting the loop at the end where the damper head i2 is held. Nobending of the damper wire will be necessary for adjustments. The lengthand the axial position of said wire is regulated and set in the usualmanner by the set screw [3. The damper head 12 is fitted snugly on thefree ends of the tines T! and T2 and adjusted by rotary motion and isset in place fixedly by the set screw l4. Thus the damper head i2simultaneously engaging the free ends of both tines will stop thevibration of the fork more efficiently and quickly. The straight longerportion of each damper wire H is fixed at a position away from andparallel to the tines Ti and directly opposite the space betweenconsecutive tines T! so that the hammer 45 of the piano action Eta. willbe unobstructed in its travel to strike the tines.

In Fig. 3 which is the top plan View of the invention with the tines TIand T2 cut across the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, is shown the relative positionof the damper wire H and the spoon 8 as fixed on the damper flange 9 andalso the position of the latter in its relation to the keys 5 and thetines T! and T2.

The action of damping and releasing the tines of the fork is as follows.When the key 5 (Fig. l) is pressed down at the playing end its other endengages the spoon 8 causing the damper wire II to be lifted up and thedamper head 12 raised from the ends of the tines allowing the latter tovibrate. Upon releas ng said key the damper lever I drops down therebycausing the damper head l2 to press on the free ends of the tines TI, T2thereby stopping the vibration of the fork, engagement of the key withthe part l6 carried on the damper flange 9 insuring that the damperflange and connected parts shall always go down when the inner end ofthe key goes down.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a key frame; keys above and transverse to said frame;tuning forks mounted to the rear of the keys and having upwardly pointedtines having upper end faces in the same horizontal plane; a hammeraction connected to and above each key having a hammer adapted to strikean adjacent tine in the plane of the key; a damper rail frontward of theforks and provided with vertical upper bores; a lever flange under thekeys; a damper lever pivoted to the lever flange under each key andprojecting beyond the key; a damper flange pivoted to the rear of eachdamper lever; a spoon on each damper flange over the adjacent key;damper wires between hammer paths and slidable in said bores and securedto corresponding damper flanges; the upper end of each wire carrying adamper head having a lower cushion face engaging both tine ends.

2. A combination as in claim 1, comprising an upwardly movable loudpedal rail having parts engageable under thedamper levers.

3. In a combination as in claim 1, and a projection on each damperflange under the associated key.

4. In a piano, a key bed; a bank of substantially horizontal keysthereon; tuning forks near the rear of the keys havin upper tine faces;hammers connected to and above the keys and adapted to strike adjacenttines; a damper guide rail disposed frontward of the upper ends of theforks above the path of the hammers and provided with a series ofvertical upper bores each mid way between the vertical planes of theadjacent keys; a iower flange rail secured along and projectingrearwardly from the lower rear margin or" the bed; a lower flangeprojecting from the rear edge of the lever rail; a damper lever undereach key and pivoted to the damper flange and rearwardly projectingslightly beyond the key; an upwardly pointing damper flange pivoted atits lower end to the rear end of each damper lever and having in itsupper end a bore vertically alined with a corresponding bore of thedamper flange; a spoon horizontally mounted on each damper flange anddisposed over the cushioned face; damper wires offset from the pa h ofthe hammers and respectively slidable in said upper bores and adjustablysecured in the corresponding damper flange bores; and damper heads onthe wires and engageable with said upper tine faces.

5. In a piano, 2. bank of substantially horizontal keys; tuning forksnear the rear of the keys having upper tine faces; upwardlylongitudinally movable damper members each having a part over the rearof the key and each comprising an upwardly directed wire; and hammersconnected to and above the keys and adapted to pass between adjacentwires to strike adjacent tines, upper end of each wire being rearwardlyand slightly laterallyturned and turned vertically downwardly over themid part of the space be tween the tines of the associated fork; adamper head for each fork having a lower horizontal cushioned face, andan upper bore in which the (iii downwardly turned upper end of the wireis adjustably secured; said lower cushioned face simultaneously engagingor leaving the ends of both tines with the same speed and movement asthe rear end of the key and with little movement when the head islowered or raised thereby stopping the vibration evenly completely andquickly damped, avoiding injury to the quality of the sound.

6. In a piano, a bank of horizontal keys; a fork mounting rail close tothe rear of the keys; forks on the rail having tines having upper endfaces in the same plane; a damper lever under the rear end of the keys;an upwardly movable damper flange pivoted to each damper lever, and eachhaving a part over the rear of a key; upwardly longitudinally guideddamper wires extending upwardly from corresponding damper flanges; theupper part of each wire carrying a damper head having a lower cushionface engaging both tine ends; a hammer action connected to and aboveeach key having a hammer adapted to pass between adjacent wires tostrike an adjacent tine; a loud pedal rail under and closely adjacent tothe damper levers and having parts thereon engageable with the damperlevers, whereby the damper heads may be raised when said pedal rail israised; a projection on each damper flange disposed under the associatedkey to insure the lowering of the damper head when the key is loweredthus allowing light weight damper actuating parts; the installation ofthe damper levers under the keys and the fork mountin rail close to thekeys greatly reducing the height and width of the piano.

'7. In a piano, a horizontal key frame; substan tially horizontal keysabove and transverse to said frame; tuning forks having yokessubstantially level with the keys mounted near and to the rear of thekeys in the vertical plane of the keys, and each having upwardly pointedsubstantially vertical tines having both upper end faces in the samehorizontal plane; a damper guide rail just above the level of said endfaces and provided with vertical upper bores vertically over the spaceadjacent to the yokes and keys and in the vertical planes betweenadjacent keys; a lever flange under the keys; a damper lever pivoted tothe lower flange under each key and projecting slightly beyond the keyunder said space; an upright damper flange pivoted to the rear of eachdamper lever between the associated key and yoke; a spoon on each damperflange over the adjacent keys, whereby when the rear end of the key israised the damper flange is raised at the same speed; substantiallyvertical damper wires parallel with said tines and longitudinallyslidable in said bores and secured fast to corresponding damper flangesthe upper end of each wire being turned downwardly in the vertical planeof the associated fork and key and carrying a damper head having a lowerhorizontal cushion face having straight line movement while maintainingsaid cushion face parallel to said end face and at a right angle to thepath of the head and simultaneously engaging both tine ends with thesame speed and at the same speed as the rear end of the key; a removablehammer action operatively connected to and above each key entirelyfrontward of and remote from said wires and damper levers and removablewithout disturbing the wires and damper levers and having a hammeradapted to pass between adjacent wires to strike an adjacent tine in theplane of the key.

8. In a piano as in claim 7 an upwardly mov- 5 able loud pedal railunder the keys and damper levers and having parts engageable under thedamper levers.

9. In a piano as in claim 7 a projection on each damper flange under theassociated key.

10. In a piano, a bank of horizontal keys; tuning forks at the rear ofthe keys and having tines having upper end faces in the same plane;upwardly movable damper flanges each having a part over to the rear of akey; upwardly guided vertical damper wires extending upwardly fromcorresponding damper flanges; the upper part of each wire carrying adamper head having a lower cushion face engaging both tine ends; and ahammer action connected to and above each key having a hammer adapted topass between adjacent wires to strike an adjacent tine; and a projectionon each damper flange engaging under the associated key.

DICKRAN SEBOUH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 309,138 Fischer Dec, 9, 18841,353,643 George Sept. 21, 1920 2,263,106 Sebouh Nov. 18, 1941 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 145.177 France Oct. 6, 1881

